Venues Homecoming 2024 - Metalheads Magazine

With the holidays approaching and the cold closing in, it is the season to keep oneself warm in the company of like-minded folks. And partying at the Venues Homecoming show definitely provides us with the warmth, no, scratch that, the heat one might seek out on a dark winter night. While driving to the Im Wizemann, one of the concert hotspots in Stuttgart, a friend tells me about a review he once read about the Venues debut album. Something along the lines of “and here we hoped the Emo Pop Metal wave was over”. While I would strongly disagree with that assessment, I can’t help but chuckle at the boldness of this derogatory statement. I most certainly don’t share a taste in music with that person. But when we arrive at the venue, those words don’t let go of me.

A colorful crowd if I’ve ever seen one greets us. Where the average Metal crowd is clad in shades of black, this evening’s audience seems fond of color. Jewelry, makeup, torn clothes, and lots of proud queer people. An atmosphere of sensitivity, open-mindedness, and compassion lies in the air. It becomes clear, that the comparison to the Emo scene – and thus also the Alternative scene, which Venues attribute themselves to – is quite justified. A welcoming vibe and a fan community modeling all the best aspects of the Metal community tonight. Here we aren’t true, strong, evil, or victorious. Here we are authentic, just, compassionate, and joyful.

Vicious Rain is falling upon us

With a heartwarming humbleness about playing tonight, Vicious Rain crank up the heat for the crowd. It is clear early on, that they are not here to make any compromises. No soft start to ease us in, no slow pieces to lean back, no long speeches to tune out. Vicious Rain stick to their name and fall upon us without pulling any punches. With a few short words of gratitude by singer David Häusermann, the Swiss Metalcore combo wins over their eager listeners. Beyond that, they blow through the club with a relentless and electrifying harshness.

Never Mindead them before – I missed out

Officially labeled as Modern Metal, I expect pretty much anything. I hope for a fresh sound, but beyond that, the genre has proven to be a wildcard in the past. Turns out, that is quite literally what I get tonight. A wildcard. A wonderful mix of different styles fused in an original and diverse overall soundscape. Initially, we get some rougher Metalcore tracks, emphasized by a brutal sound and harsh vocals. Then I leave the room to get a drink, come back, and ask myself the question, that describes Mindead best in my opinion: “Am I even still listening to the same band?”

They drastically switch up their style throughout the show. Later on, bringing some softer tones and vocals, some tunes more akin to Hardcore, and even a unique interpretation of Nine Inch Nails‘ “Hurt”. While other bands might struggle to keep such a mix original and organic, the set seems entertaining and in no way derivative. I seem to be one of the few visitors who isn’t familiar with their sound yet, but I am glad they win me over as a fan tonight.

The last big one of the year for the Venues

As previously teased, the Venues crowd is unique. The people tonight don’t visit blindly or out of curiosity. Most audience members deliberately chose to celebrate having their hometown gems among them again. A loyal family greets them. And they amp up and reflect that energy a thousandfold.

Now to revisit the “pop” part of that quote I initially mentioned. Indeed, Venues have a catchy, poppy side to some of their songs. And that’s where the show kicks off with “My True North” and “Uncaged Birds”. And yet it seems for quite a while then, that with every other song, things get a little bit harsher, while always keeping some softer tunes in between to hold the balance.

Introed by Daniela ‘Lela’ Gruber’s words about injustice and dealing with it, one of my – and definitely also the crowd’s – favorites, “Bad Karma” touches on a sensitive topic and leaves us all with a wholesome vibe. With “Haunted House” – among many other tracks – we get a full load of the harsher side of Venues, strongly delivered through Robin Baumann’s screams. And before going over to the hot finishers, including “Godspeed, Goodbye” and “Cravings”, we get a wonderful acoustic rendition of “Coming Home” (piano and clean vocals only). With that track, they not only underline the theme of the evening once more but also give us a touching, heartfelt highlight of the show.

One last callout before they wrap things up though goes to the Traumatica Scare Crew. For those unfamiliar with the Halloween concept of the amusement park Europapark, it usually requires a bunch of actors depicting all kinds of zombies, monsters, and other macabre creatures. Another interesting fact is that Venues also played a show in the Europapark around Halloween. So turns out, they became drinking buddies with the horror actors on-site. And so around twenty of those drove up to Stuttgart with a bus tonight, to surprise the band and attend their last show of the year. The greatly contagious energy that the bus full of street actors brought with them was met with endless gratitude by the musicians on stage.

So to wrap up my initial thought, I’m not sure, I would call the Venues music “Emo Pop Metal”. I’d definitely not call it that in any negative way. But whatever it is, they are doing, I hope that “wave” doesn’t ebb down anytime soon. I feel greatly honored to have been a part of this intimate, wholesome, and touching evening and I hope this joyful, colorful, and loyal fanbase can prove an example for many others. If there were only one thing I could change about tonight, I would ask for a full house. With a barely half-full club, the bands didn’t nearly get as much as they deserved.